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Adopting an animal
I'm adopting a puppy: What should I do?
This information is intended for future dog owners to help them through the steps of adoption. You want to adopt a dog but, you don't know where to begin:
- What type of dog to choose?
- Which gender: male or female?
- How to choose my puppy in the litter?
- How old must the puppy be to be adopted?
- Which guarantees must I ask from the seller?
- How to prepare the arrival?
- What steps to undertake after the arrival?
- What type of dog to choose?
What type of dog to choose?
When selecting the type of dog you want to adopt, it is useful to ask yourself some questions, for instance what kind of relation you want to have with your dog?
The motivations behind the adoption of a dog vary greatly. You can adopt a dog for company, to do some sports, to work, to educate the children about responsibility and facts of life. By reflecting long before the adoption, you will be able to find a dog that corresponds better to your needs. It is also necessary to take into account the needs of the dog and his capacity to adapt to:
Your lifestyle; job, sedentary nature
- If you don't have enough time available: prefer a small size dog, with
a sedentary character and with short hair (the long hair breeds must
be brushed at least twice a week)
- If you are very sedentary, and do not like walks: avoid nervous dogs requiring a lot of exercise (Husky, Hounds...)
- If you like to go on holidays with your dog: hotels usually accept small breed dogs more easily.
To your family environment (children, elderly, numerous visitors)
- If you have young children or elderly in the home: avoid very large
breed dogs, try to adopt a puppy with a more submissive character.
To your personnality: Authoritarian or not
- A dog at first predominant must be educated by somebody who can show authority.
- If you are chief « type cake », choose a subjected pup with whom you will be able to develop harmonious relations without using authority too often
- If you are very much into sports and you wish that your dog accompanies
you in big walks, do not hesitate to take a medium or big format in
To your environment
how much space the dog have at his/her disposal?
To your finances:
- a part of the expenses is proportional to the size of the animal, for
instance; a 10 kg dog eats an average 150g a day of dry food, a 30 kg
dog will eat about 400g. The cost of feeding is therefore directly
proportional to the size of the dog. The same is true of for other
numerous expenses (medications, pet sitting, surgical operations...).
- The choice of a breed should therefore be made according to numerous criteria and cannot come down to an emotional reaction. And the mixed breeds? They can also bring you a lot of happiness and love but it is sometimes more difficult to foresee their grown-up morphology. If you opt for this choice, try to know the size of both parents to avoid bad surprises.
Which gender: male or female?
Once again several aspects are to be taken into account:
- If you have children, the females are, in general, kinder.
The inconveniences you are willing to accept:
The female goes through two periods of heat per year during which, she will have an attraction to males, lose blood (that might stain around the house) and possibly, risk undesired gestations. These disadvantages can nevertheless be avoided with sterilization.
The male is often slightly more independent in character. During the periods of heat of females, he is more likely to run away to satisfy his sexual instinct. Again, sterilization can help avoid certain disadvantages.
How to choose my puppy in the litter?
It's interesting to be able to get an idea of a dog's future personality, before choosing a puppy. To help you, we recommend that you try the Campbell test which allows you to rapidly and easily identify the character of the puppy.
How old must the puppy be?
In the course of the first weeks of their life, the bitch is going to nourish the babies and will also instill in them fundamental notions of behavior which will allow the pups to be balanced in their life. This canine learning process is made in successive steps, these are shortly presented below:
6 weeks: weaning - insufficient identification to the specie
8 weeks: cleanness - recognition of the places of elimination
12 weeks: final part of the primary socialization to men and to other animals.
10-14 weeks: end of the period of emotional regulation and adaptation to the environment
The best age to adopt a pup is therefore between 7 and 8 weeks. Because in that period, he has acquired a sense of identification to his specie as well as rituals of submission, he began his task of organization into a hierarchy and weaning from the mother. He still has him 4 to 6 weeks remaining to learn to fit into your environment.
It is necessary to avoid adopting an old pup of less than 6 weeks and above 3,5 months. It is also necessary to be very careful before adopting a pup which was entirely raised in the nursing bottle by a human being.
What guarantees must I acquire from the seller?
If you reserve your pup you will accept at the time of the first remittance:
- a copy of the receipt specifying down payment and including this information:
- the complete coordinates of animal husbandry and breeder
- the selling price of the pup and the sum of your down payment
- precision on the breed, sex and date of birth of the pup
- the names of the father and the mother
- clauses hiring both parties
- the date, the place and the signature of both parties
Then, ask the breeder for information on the type of food that he gives to the puppies, purchase a small bag of the same food for the arrival of the pup to avoid a sudden change in his diet.
When you pick-up the puppy, you should also receive these:
- An up-to-date vaccination booklet filled and signed by a veterinary
- His tattoo card of electronic identification certificate
- His birth certificate
- A precise certificate of sale, including all legal guarantees
Also remember to ask about the date of the last deworming of your pup.
How to prepare his arrival?
Some items to have on hand:
- A basket made of a material that the puppy won't be able to rip easily
- Two stainless steel or porcelain bowls easy to clean
- A bag of puppy food
- A collar lead or harness
What steps to undertake at his arrival?
Steps are:
Make an appointment with your veterinary for:
- Do a visit after of purchase to guarantee that your puppy is in good health
- Do all due vaccination
- Buy an appropriate dewormer
- Declare your puppy to your insurance so that he is included in your liability insurance.